WHEN
WE TAKE REFUGE for the first time, we officially
become a Buddhist. In doing so, we recognize and confirm
our Buddhanature, the potential for basic goodness that
we all share as sentient beings. When we take refuge,
we also acknowledge that our destination is Buddhahood.
We are saying we will begin to follow the Lord Buddha
who already attained liberation from suffering.

If we are to succeed in our attempt to transform our
unenlightened manifestation into an enlightened one,
we need the lineage. The teachings of the Buddha that
come to us through the lineage emerged through the manifestation
of the Buddha's realization. Because they came from
his experiences of wisdom, they are beyond any limitations
whatsoever. Teachers of the lineage transmit the Buddha's
knowledge as it has been handed down from teacher to
student through the ages. Due to the authenticity of
the transmission, the teachings show us what is meaningful
in our lives and will lead us to liberation. After the
Buddha attained enlightenment, his disciples took refuge
in him and from him. These disciples in turn gave refuge
to their disciples in a line that has continued up to
the present time. I received my first refuge from the
Sixteenth Karmapa when I was eighteen months old. Since
then, I have been a Buddhist officially.

Refuge means taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and
Sangha. The Buddha we refer to here is the Buddha who
attained enlightenment in India over two thousand five
hundred years ago. The Dharma is his teaching and advice.
The Sangha is composed of those who receive the transmission
of his teachings and blessings, and practice his instruction.
We take refuge in Buddha as our ultimate destination.
In doing so, we confirm our potential. If we did not
possess the potential to become free and liberated from
suffering, then it would be useless, impossible, and
foolish to try to become liberated.

Since we are all Buddha by nature, however, every one
of us possesses the potential for liberation, freedom,
and enlightenment. That is quite clear. Nothing is good
enough for sentient beings except ultimate limitless
liberation. I am one hundred percent convinced that
sentient beings will not stop in their search for happiness.
They will wander in samsara forever until they finally
become fully enlightened. After receiving refuge, we
must be able to maintain this transmission, which we
do by taking a vow to remind ourselves of our commitment
to follow the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The
vow we take for the Buddha is that we will always be
intent upon liberating and enlightening our potential.
The vow we take for the Dharma is that we will do our
best to avoid anything that is harmful or negative to
ourselves and to others. We must do our best to maintain
these vows; however, we must also be realistic about
what we are capable of doing.

At the beginning, we might be naive or grow confused
about what we are capable of accomplishing. There are
always effects from each thing we think, say, or do.
We should not worry too much about results, but we should
do the best we can. We should try to stay mindful, and
remember that we are always capable of improvement.
That is our commitment as we take refuge in the Dharma.
To take refuge in the Sangha ensures that we will learn
from the lineage, and take advice and receive instructions
from the Buddha himself. This means we will try to be
a good friend to everybody and be a good example. We
will try to avoid those individuals who are negative
until we think that we will be able to help them. If
we sense that negativity coming from others influences
us, we will keep our distance and pray for those who
need it. We will begin to assist others directly once
we are confident that they cannot influence us in a
harmful way. This kind of mindfulness and awareness
is the commitment we make when we take refuge in the
Sangha.

We can summarize these commitments into a simple maxim:
we must do our best to make the best use of this precious
human life. We can make our lives as positive as possible,
directing ourselves in a meaningful way to attain realization.
This is the simple way to acknowledge the refuge vow.
All of us can make a realistic assessment of what kind
of improvement and development and maturity we can attain
in this lifetime. We can make a sincere, clear, and
confirmed commitment towards that. However, we should
not limit ourselves in our aspirations by expecting
too little; nor should we limit ourselves by expecting
too much too soon. We must pray that we attain enlightenment
and lead every sentient being to liberation. We must
also remember that true maturity does not happen by
accident nor by mistake. No sentient being has become
enlightened by mistake. After we take refuge, we must
cherish and uphold the refuge transmission that we receive.
For that, we make a basic vow to keep the commitment
firm. We should be happy and honored and uplifted and
always fresh about it.